OLDaily

By Stephen Downes
July 4, 2005

Using Discussion Webs to Develop an Academic
Community of LearnersThis is a good article,
even if the authors leave the term 'discussion web'
undefined throughout (I assume they mean a discussion board
with a linking capacity). Essentially, it is an analysis of
the use of online discussion in a teacher course with an
eye toward the development of community. Mostly I'm
uncomfortable with this sort of analysis - 17 people
dicussing things in isolation hardly seems like a
community, and when things like 'chit chat' are classified
as 'failures' I think the analysis is missing the point.
But mainly I'm uncomfortable with stuff like this: "Meaning
is a dialogic relationship between the question and the
response." No it isn't. But more to the point, does the
content tell us about the community (assuming there even
is a community)? Why would we assume this? Via EDUCAUSE.
By Eugene Matusov, Renee Hayes and Mary Jane Pluta,
Educational Technology & Society, June, 2005
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20 Technology Skills Every Educator Should
HaveOK, they aren't talking high level skills
here - more like things like word processing, spreadsheets,
digital cameras, and the like. And it's not a bad list (but
'copyright' is not a technology skill - sheesh). But
even better: along with each skill there is a short
description and - get this - links that take you to places
where you can elarn the skill they're talking about! Great
stuff! That's the way online articles (and for that matter,
online learning) should work. Via ADL Co-Lab News. By Laura
Turner, T.H.E. Journal, June, 2005
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PacketvilleADL writes: "Cisco
Systems is rolling out a web portal this week that it hopes
will help more young students become interested in math and
science careers as well as education in general." It's not
really a portal; there aren't any outside links. It's not
really a gaming site either, despite this
notice. It's a site with activities and games for young
computer users. There's a really weird vide to this site,
though, with the whole 'hacker busters' theme (who thought
of that?). It's like the hackers (view them in these sticker
pages, or as described in these
poems) are the new communists - or something. Weird.
Disturbing. By Various Authors, Cisco, July, 2005
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Mobile Computing - Imagination on the
MoveMobile computing has become the new 'in'
thing, capturing tghe attention of writers and designers
throughout the field of e-learning. Not that there's
anything wrong with that; the advent of wireless makes
support for mobile computing an imperative. This article
surveys some pioneering mobile computing initiatives in
U.S. universities, including Seton Hall, Georgetown and
Carnegie Mellon. Some stupid stuff, though, like this
supposed "great idea": "They fired up the access points,
but left them unconnected to the network at large, creating
a “dead zone” of connectivity inside each classroom." The
whole point of mobile computing is to support learning;
turning it off where it's needed most defeats the prupose.
Via ADL Co-Lab News. By Matt Villano, Campus Technology,
July, 2005
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The 'Object' of Content ManagementThe meat of this article is in the bottom quarter with a
set of useful tips for those looking at content management.
Start small, put someone in charge, network with pioneers,
use metadata, focus on design and involve faculty. By
William H. Graves, Campus Technology, July, 2005
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New Benchmarking Approach: Open Educational
ResourcesSurface-level overview with a
relentless U.S.-focus, this is nonetheless worth viewing to
get an idea of what's happening in open access south of the
border. Slideshow created in Macromedia Flashpaper, which
(as it turns out) is even more useless than PDF (a new
low). Mentions OCW, Creative Commons, Connexions, and some
others. Not sure where the benchmarking bit comes in,
except for a couple unrelated slides near the end. From the
same author, Trends
in North American e-Learning (the title is a misnomer,
with four slides for Mexico, two for Canada, and 47 for the
U.S.) More
presentations. By Sally M. Johnstone, NUTN 2005, June
12, 2005
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Gizmo SIP client hopes to break Skype
siloI like Skype a lot, but as others have
noted, Skype needs to be open, so that we're not all
depending on this one company. This item links to Lindows
(aka Linspire) producer Michael Robertson's attempt to
break that silo, Gizmo. The verdict? Not ready for prime
time. Look, but don't download unless you're an adventurer.
By Boris Mann, B.Mann Consulting, July 3, 2005
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New Cornell Study Suggests That Mental
Processing is Continuous, Not Like a ComputerAs I said in my recent
paper, the trend in research is away from cognitivist
theories of mind. "For decades, the cognitive and neural
sciences have treated mental processes as though they
involved passing discrete packets of information in a
strictly feed-forward fashion from one cognitive module to
the next or in a string of individuated binary symbols --
like a digital computer," said Spivey. "More recently,
however, a growing number of studies, such as ours, support
dynamical-systems approaches to the mind. In this model,
perception and cognition are mathematically described as a
continuous trajectory through a high-dimensional mental
space; the neural activation patterns flow back and forth
to produce nonlinear, self-organized, emergent properties
-- like a biological organism." By Susan S. Lang, Cornell
University News Service, June 27, 2005
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National Game Study 2005Just
came online today. As the summary says, the study presents
of a study of Canada's video game industry. "This study is
the first to provide a national overview of the growing
gaming sector. NRC partnered with New Media BC to survey
companies from across the country." Breaks the industry
down into types, size of companies and projected growth.
Don't miss the map,
which surveys the gaming industry across Canada. By
Unattributed, National Research Council, Industrial
Research Assistance Program, March, 2005
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Immersive Learning EnvironmentsNice take on the article
I posted Friday, showing how the network-based approach to
learning theory I outline can be applied in the field of
health care education. "What better way to develop these
proficiencies than to have health professions’ students
working and studying together in immersive and
collaborative environments. Why educators think that we
could possibly educate students in silos and release them
into healthcare environments where they are expected to
demonstrate and maintain competency in interprofessional
teamwork is a mystery to me." By crussell,
Technology-Escapades, July 2, 2005
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